Sacred Heart History

History Of Sacred Heart

The history of Sacred Heart is evenly divided into two historic stages: the missionary period and the parish period.

Missionary Period:
1921-1961

The first recorded mention of Catholics moving into Okeechobee appears in a letter from Fr. Gabriel Ruppert O.S.B. to the Bishop of St. Augustine in 1919. Fr. Ruppert was pastor of St. Anastasia in Fort Pierce which then served Okeechobee. Beginning in 1919, masses were celebrated by Fr. Ruppert in homes or in the Masonic Hall in Okeechobee four times a year until a little mission church, known as the “Prairie Chapel” was built in 1921. The “Prairie Chapel” was built on land donated by the Okeechobee Realty Co., where the Episcopal church is situated off 441 north. It accommodated approximately 40 people and it served the Catholics of Okeechobee for forty years.

Parish Period:
1964-Present

As the 1950’s came to a close, the Catholics of Okeechobee began petitioning the new Diocese of Miami for a new Church and a pastor of their own. Monsignor Michael Beerhalter, pastor of St. Anastasia (1929-1972) supported this development. Thus, in 1961 the present chapel on S.W. 6th Street was built to replace the “Prairie Chapel”. Mr. Frank Altabello donated two acres on S.W. 6th Street for the new Church. Monsignor Beerhalter later approached Mr. Altabello on behalf of the Archdiocese of Miami and purchased ten more acres for $ 10,000.The Catholic extension society (based in Chicago) donated $10, 000 to the project. The sale of the “Prairie Chapel” fetched another $5,000. Three years later in 1964, the parish of Sacred Heart was established and Fr. James X. Henry became it’s first pastor. Like the chosen people who wandered in the desert for forty years before entering the promised land, the catholic people of Okeechobee rejoiced in having their own parish after forty years of waiting. During Fr. Henry’s tenure, the rectory and parish office were built. In orderly succession, Fr. Felix Banos succeeded Fr. Henry in 1965 and in 1969, Fr. Michael Hannon succeeded Fr. Banos as third pastor of the fledging parish. After Fr. Hannon left in 1971, the parish, de facto, reverted to missionary status. It was served by Fr. Daniel J. Sloan, an associate of St. Anastasia in Fort Pierce, who spent 12 ½ years at Sacred Heart as administrator. In 1974, Fr. Sloan built the parish hall.

On September 24, 1984, Fr. Hugh Duffy was appointed as the fourth pastor of Sacred Heart. The parish was also about to be incorporated into the newly formed Diocese of Palm Beach. Fr. Duffy dedicated his efforts towards bringing the parish and its resources up to date.

Firstly, he developed new organizations, such as the parish finance council and building committee. Secondly, the religious education program was expanded to include a program for the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants. Over the following years, as immigrants from Latin America and elsewhere arrived in Okeechobee, many programs and ministries were developed to serve the diverse cultures of Sacred Heart, with the addition of masses and services in different languages: English, French and Spanish.

On November 5, 1986, the Education Center for the religious and cultural formation of the parish was dedicated, complete with six classrooms, an office for a CCD Coordinator, ample storage, and a multipurpose kitchen.

During this time, Fr. Duffy established the church’s Family Outreach Center to offer a wide variety of social services to the needy. Thus, Sacred Heart operates a food bank and an office for immigration assistance; it has a soccer club and a martial arts club for the youth in the area; programs for those addicted to drugs or alcohol, health seminars and housing assistance. The Family Outreach Center also engages in a vibrant prison ministry, in conjunction with Kairos. It hosts community-wide festivals, annually, such as “Christmas Around the World” and the St. Patrick’s Day Festival, to foster integration and social harmony.

In the late 80’s & early 90’s, the parish experienced the most dramatic growth of its history, with the parish registry jumping from 147 families to 500. During this time to the present, many renovations were made to the parish facilities.

It is indeed significant from a biblical perspective that, after forty more years as a parish (1964-2004), Sacred Heart set out to build a new Church to the greater glory of God and the honor of all it’s parishioners.

Sacred Heart Chapel 1984